Follins Pond
Encyclopedia
Follins Pond is a brackish
lake
located on Cape Cod
, separating the towns of Dennis, Massachusetts
, and Yarmouth, Massachusetts
. The lake is connected to Nantucket Sound
via the Bass River
.
colony
of Vinland
.
In the 1950s, Frederick J. Pohl
investigated Follins Pond and claimed that he had located shore rocks along the pond into which were drilled holes that strongly resembled Norse mooring stones (the Norse were known to drill holes into which iron pins were inserted for the purpose of mooring their knarrer
).
Additionally, Pohl claimed that he had uncovered the tops of posts about a foot underground, arranged in a pattern that might have been that of either a Norse shipyard
or drydock.
Further, at about the same time a claimed "Viking horse bone" may have been unearthed at Follins Pond. Pohl was of the opinion that at least a few horses were brought from Greenland
by the Norse on their further voyages of exploration.
Pohl published a book in 1952 entitled The lost discovery: Uncovering the track of the Vikings in America which detailed this claim. It is not taken seriously by professional historians, as the evidence presented is rather scant and no archaeological finds of any significance have been made in the area since.
Additionally, along the shore of a smaller body of water known as Kelleys Bay joined to Follins Pond by the Bass River
can be found Vinland
Drive, Skerry
Road, Saga Road, Fiord
Drive, Freydis Drive, and Lief Ericson Drive (sic).
Further south, along the shores of the Bass River, can be found Lief's Lane, Legend Drive, Old Saga Drive, Rune Stone Road, Viking Rock Road, Keel Cape Drive, Erickson Way, and Mooring Lane.
At the very least, the community finds these theories noteworthy or humorous enough to reflect them in street names.
In addition, articles about the purported past of Follins Pond occasionally turn up in the Cape Cod Times and other local newspapers.
Brackish water
Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...
lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
located on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
, separating the towns of Dennis, Massachusetts
Dennis, Massachusetts
Dennis is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States; located near the center of Cape Cod. The population was 14,207 at the 2010 census.The town encompasses five distinct villages, each of which has its own post office...
, and Yarmouth, Massachusetts
Yarmouth, Massachusetts
Yarmouth is a New England town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 24,807 at the 2000 census....
. The lake is connected to Nantucket Sound
Nantucket Sound
Nantucket Sound is a roughly triangular area of the Atlantic Ocean offshore from the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is long and wide, and is enclosed by Cape Cod on the north, Nantucket on the south, and Martha's Vineyard on the west. Between Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard it is connected to the...
via the Bass River
Bass River (Massachusetts)
Bass River is an estuary and village in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, United States. The estuary separates the towns of Yarmouth and Dennis at the central, southern sections of the towns. At its widest and most southerly point, it opens to and meets Nantucket Sound...
.
Connection to Vinland
Follins Pond is noteworthy primarily because there has been an attempt to connect it to the semi-legendary lost NorseViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
of Vinland
Vinland
Vinland was the name given to an area of North America by the Norsemen, about the year 1000 CE.There is a consensus among scholars that the Vikings reached North America approximately five centuries prior to the voyages of Christopher Columbus...
.
In the 1950s, Frederick J. Pohl
Frederick J. Pohl
Frederick Julius Pohl was a prolific playwright, literary critic, editor, and book writer. He is best known for his books espousing speculative and controversial historical theories of Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact by Europeans, including the Vikings and others. He was also the husband of...
investigated Follins Pond and claimed that he had located shore rocks along the pond into which were drilled holes that strongly resembled Norse mooring stones (the Norse were known to drill holes into which iron pins were inserted for the purpose of mooring their knarrer
Knaar
A knarr is a type of Norse merchant ship famously used by the Vikings. Knarr is of the same clinker-built method used to construct longships, karves, and faerings.-History:...
).
Additionally, Pohl claimed that he had uncovered the tops of posts about a foot underground, arranged in a pattern that might have been that of either a Norse shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
or drydock.
Further, at about the same time a claimed "Viking horse bone" may have been unearthed at Follins Pond. Pohl was of the opinion that at least a few horses were brought from Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
by the Norse on their further voyages of exploration.
Pohl published a book in 1952 entitled The lost discovery: Uncovering the track of the Vikings in America which detailed this claim. It is not taken seriously by professional historians, as the evidence presented is rather scant and no archaeological finds of any significance have been made in the area since.
Local notoriety
Interestingly, some of the road names around Follins Pond seem to reflect this theory. A Norsemans Beach Road can be found on the eastern shore of the lake, a Norse Road on the north shore of the lake, and a Valhalla Drive and Erik's Path close to the south shore.Additionally, along the shore of a smaller body of water known as Kelleys Bay joined to Follins Pond by the Bass River
Bass River (Massachusetts)
Bass River is an estuary and village in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, United States. The estuary separates the towns of Yarmouth and Dennis at the central, southern sections of the towns. At its widest and most southerly point, it opens to and meets Nantucket Sound...
can be found Vinland
Vinland
Vinland was the name given to an area of North America by the Norsemen, about the year 1000 CE.There is a consensus among scholars that the Vikings reached North America approximately five centuries prior to the voyages of Christopher Columbus...
Drive, Skerry
Skerry
A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low sea stack....
Road, Saga Road, Fiord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
Drive, Freydis Drive, and Lief Ericson Drive (sic).
Further south, along the shores of the Bass River, can be found Lief's Lane, Legend Drive, Old Saga Drive, Rune Stone Road, Viking Rock Road, Keel Cape Drive, Erickson Way, and Mooring Lane.
At the very least, the community finds these theories noteworthy or humorous enough to reflect them in street names.
In addition, articles about the purported past of Follins Pond occasionally turn up in the Cape Cod Times and other local newspapers.